|
click to enlarge image |
Sri Sathya Sai Baba's Birthday
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
It is creditable if a human behaves
as a human being. It is laudable if
they behave as God, that they really
are! But to behave as a demon or as
a beast is despicable indeed! For,
people were long born a mineral,
died a mineral; then they promoted
themselves to be born as a tree and
died as a tree. Subsequently they
got promoted as an animal, and
finally rose to the status of a
human being. This rise from one
scale to another has been
acknowledged by science and
spiritual experience. Now alas, they
are born as human and die as human.
It is a greater shame if they slide
into a beast or a beastly ogre.
Praise is due, only if they rise to
the divine status. That is real
fulfilment of one’s destiny.
Therefore resolve today to avoid
contact with vices, develop
attachment to virtues, and transmute
your heart into an altar for your
beloved Lord. (Bhagavatha Vahini, Ch
1, “The Bhagavatha”)
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Date: Tuesday, December 30, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
The nature of human beings is Love (prema).
You cannot survive even for a
moment, when deprived of Love. It is
the very breath of your life. When
the six vices, to which you were
attached for so long, disappear,
Love will be the only occupant of
your heart; but Love has to find an
object, a loved one. It cannot be
alone. Direct your heart full of
love towards the dark-blue Divine
Child, the charming Lord, who is the
Embodiment of Love, Purity, Service,
Sacrifice and Selflessness. Then
there will be no scope for any other
attachment to grow. Let this love
for the Lord, step-by-step become
deeper, purer and more self-denying;
until at last, there is no other
need for thought and the individual
is merged in the Universal. When
Vaasudeva, the Lord, enters the
heart of man, demons have no longer
a place therein. Darkness and light
do not co-exist; Light removes every
inch of darkness. (Bhagavatha Vahini,
Ch 1, “The Bhagavatha”)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Monday, December 29, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Everyone should treat whatever
happens to them as gifts from God.
Pleasure and pain should be treated
alike as Divine gifts. There is a
unique joy in this process. In daily
life we tend to treat defeat, loss
or grief as calamities. But nothing
occurs in the world without a cause.
Hunger is the cause for eating.
Thirst is the cause for drinking.
Difficulties are the cause of
sorrow. If you would like to enjoy
enduring happiness, you must
discover the source of such
happiness. That source is love (prema).
There is nothing greater than love
in this world. Everything has a
price. The price to be paid for
enduring happiness is Divine Love.
The primary wealth for man is Love.
Everyone should seek to acquire this
wealth. With this wealth anyone can
enjoy enduring bliss. (Divine
Discourse, 1 Jan 1998)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Sunday, December 28, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
A cleansed and pure heart is the
most appropriate altar or tabernacle
for the Lord. In that fragrant
bower, the Lord will establish
Himself. When the Lord establishes
Himself, at that very moment,
another incident too will happen.
The group of six vices that had
infested the place will quit
instantly, without any farewell or
fanfare. When these vices quit, the
wicked retinue of evil tendencies
and vulgar attitudes which live on
them will break camp and disappear
without leaving even their
addresses! Then one will shine in
one’s native splendour of Truth and
Love (Sathya and Prema). That person
will endeavour without hindrance to
realize the Self, and finally
succeed in merging with the
Universal and Eternal. Liberated
from the tangle of ignorance or maya,
the mind will fade away. The
long-hidden secret will be revealed.
(Bhagavatha Vahini, Ch 1, “The
Bhagavatha”)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Saturday, December 27, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Listening to expositions by a
speaker who has had the thrill of
genuine experience is a blessing.
The speaker’s face will blossom with
joy, their eyes will shed tears of
exhilaration at the very
contemplation of the Lord’s glory.
Listeners will easily catch that
inspiration and experience the joy
themselves as tears stream down
their eyes. When an infant smiles,
everyone around the infant also
smiles in unison. So too the words
of those who are saturated with
devotion to God will saturate the
hearts of the listeners too. Through
that process of listening, a
dirt-laden heart will be transformed
into a clean and illumined heart
which shines with genuine light and
love. To the foul odours of
sense-pursuits, keenness to listen
to the glories of God is a valuable
disinfectant, besides being in
itself so full of sweet fragrance.
Listening will effectively cleanse
your heart. (Bhagavatha Vahini, Ch
1, “The Bhagavatha)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Friday, December 26, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Embodiments of Divine Love! Adhere
sincerely to your faith and
traditions. Wherever you may be, do
not give room for religious or any
kind of differences. When we examine
the root cause for differences or
conflicts, you will find that the
real reason is selfish minds,
wearing the garb of religion or any
other cause, and inciting conflicts
amongst the people. If you desire to
secure genuine peace in the world,
you must hold morality (neethi) as
superior to your community (jaathi).
Cherish good feelings as more
important than religious beliefs.
Mutual regard (mamatha), equal
mindedness (samatha) and forbearance
(Kshamatha) are the basic qualities
necessary for every human being.
Only the person with these three
qualities can be regarded as a true
man. Hence all of you must cultivate
these three sacred qualities
assiduously. Using these qualities,
give up all kinds of differences.
Then love will develop in you. When
love grows, you will have a direct
vision of God. (Divine Discourse,
25th Dec 1990)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Thursday, December 25, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Two thousand years ago, when narrow
pride and thick ignorance defiled
mankind, Jesus came as the
Embodiment of Love and Compassion
and lived among people, holding
forth the highest ideals of life.
You must pay attention to the
lessons He elaborated in the various
stages of His life. His first
declaration was, “I am the messenger
of God”. Yes, each individual has to
accept that role and live as
examples of divine love and charity.
Jesus knew that God wills all. So
even when He was on the cross,
though He suffered agony, He bore no
ill-will towards anyone and in fact
exhorted those with Him to treat all
as instruments of His Will. "All are
one; be alike to everyone" -
Practise this attitude in your daily
lives. Moon can be seen only through
the moonlight. So too God, who is
love, can be seen and realised only
through love. Love is God, Live in
Love. This is the Message I give
you. (Divine Discourse, Dec 24,
1980)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Jesus sacrificed His life and poured
out His blood to instill Love and
Compassion in the heart of man, so
that you are happy when others are
happy and sad when others are sad.
Let Me call upon you today, to give
up, in honour of this holy occasion,
two evils from your mind: self
praise and talking scandal! Give
them up! Instead adopt one habit:
the habit of loving service to the
distressed. If you spend all your
time and energy in worldly comfort
and sensual delight, you are
disgracing this human existence. Do
not spend your life in just enjoying
food; eat as much as is necessary
for living. Maintain your body as
temple where God resides. Keep it
clean, fresh and fragrant by
developing compassion and love; Let
holy thoughts, words and deeds
emerge from you. Do not demean it by
using it for low, trivial and unholy
tasks. Wherever you are, make this
resolution today! (Divine Discourse,
Dec 25, 1976)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Tuesday, December 23, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
People believe that Divine
incarnations happen only for the
punishment of the wicked and the
protection of the righteous. But
these represent only one aspect of
the task. The granting of peace and
joy, of a sense of fulfillment to
seekers who have striven long —this
too is His task. The Avatar, or form
incarnate, is only the
concretization of the yearning of
the seekers. It is the solidified
sweetness of the devotion of godly
aspirants. The Formless assumes the
form for the sake of these aspirants
and seekers. They are the prime
cause. The cow secretes milk for the
sustenance of the calf. That is the
chief beneficiary. But, as we see,
others also benefit from that milk.
So too, though the devotees are the
prime cause and their joy and
sustenance the prime purpose of an
incarnation, other incidental
benefits also accrue, such as
fostering dharma, suppression of
evil, and reforming, correcting or
destroying the wicked. (Bhagavatha
Vahini, Ch 1, “The Bhagavatha”)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Monday, December 22, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
There is no compulsive rule that
incarnations should occur only on
the earth and in human form. Any
place and any form can be chosen by
the fully free. Whichever place and
form promote the purpose of
fulfilling the yearning of the
devotee, that place and form are
chosen by the will of God. God is
above and beyond the limits of time
and space. He is beyond all
characteristics and qualities, and
no list of such can describe Him
fully. For Him, all beings are
equal. The difference between man,
beast, bird, worm, insect, and even
a god is but a difference of the
‘vessel’ (upadhi). The one single
God activates every vessel and gives
rise to manifold consequences. God
appreciates the consciousness of
unity as the basic motive of acts.
He doesn’t appreciate the activity
itself being one without variety;
activity must be suited to the
various needs. (Bhagavatha Vahini,
Ch 1, “The Bhagavatha”)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Sunday, December 21, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Exulting in praising the Lord is the
hallmark of the real good. Avoid
being in the company of people who
revel in sensory talks. Choose to
spend your time in the company of
the Divine and be engaged in the
Lord’s activities. Only those who
act in accordance to the above are
God’s own (Bhagavathas). Reading and
enjoying the stories of the glory of
Krishna (Lord) in a sacred hall,
temple, shrine, or hermitage of a
saint, or being in the company of
the virtuous and the good — that is
a source of great inspiration and
joy. You can approach pious people,
serve them, and listen to their
exposition of the glories of God.
Taste for such wholesome literature
is the result of accumulated merit
and effort. Listening will be enough
in the beginning; later, the stories
will arouse interest in the nature
and characteristics of God, and the
aspirant will seek and find for
oneself the path to realisation. (Bhagavatha
Vahini, Ch 1, “The Bhagavatha”)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Saturday, December 20, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
The infant doesn’t know the taste of
milk. But by taking it daily, it
develops a deep attachment for it,
such that when milk is to be given
up and rice substituted, it starts
to protest. But the mother doesn’t
despair; she persuades the child to
take small quantities of cooked rice
daily, and slowly, the child starts
liking rice and gives up milk. Milk
though once its natural food, is
replaced by rice through practice to
such an extent that if rice is not
available for a day, the child feels
miserable. So too though sense
pleasures are ‘natural’ at first, by
means of practice and listening to
the wise, slowly the joy derived
from listening and recapitulating
the glories of the Lord is grasped.
Over time, the company of the
worldly who chatter about the senses
or sense-objects will no longer
attract; the company that exults in
the Love of Lord becomes sweeter and
then you begin to genuinely
experience the Divine. (Bhagavatha
Vahini, Ch 1, “The Bhagavatha”)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Friday, December 19, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Generally people get drawn to sense
objects, for they are victims of
instincts. And instincts come along
with the body and aren’t derived by
any training. The infant seeks milk
from the mother, no training is
needed for this. However for the
infant to walk and talk, some
training is necessary, because these
actions are not automatic but are
socially prompted, by example and by
imitation of others. Training is
essential even for the proper
pursuit of sense pleasure, for it is
the wild and untrained search for
such pleasure that promotes anger,
hatred, envy, malice, and conceit.
To train the senses along salutary
lines and to hold them under
control, certain good disciplines
like repetition of the name,
meditation, fasts, worship at dawn
and dusk, etc. are essential. When
one is asked to do such spiritual
acts, one has no inner prompting at
all. Still, one shouldn’t give up in
despair. No one has a taste for such
practices from the very beginning,
but constant practice creates the
zest. (Bhagavatha Vahini, Ch 1, “The
Bhagavatha”)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Thursday, December 18, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
The quintessence of the scriptural
texts is this: Realise that the
awareness of Divine or Brahman
cannot be won by the accumulation of
wealth nor by giving away the
riches. Nor can it be achieved by
reading texts, rising to power,
acquiring degrees and diplomas, or
performing scriptural sacrifices and
rituals. The body is an anthill,
with the mind inside as a deep
cavity. The mind has hidden in it
the serpent named ignorance or
nescience (a-jnana). The serpent
cannot be killed by resorting to
satisfaction-oriented works (kamya
karma). Spiritual wisdom (jnana) is
the only weapon that can kill it. To
achieve spiritual wisdom, you must
have ‘Steady Faith’. Shraddhavan
labhathe jnanam, states the
scriptures. Meaning, that person
alone, who has steady and unwavering
faith, can certainly secure wisdom.
(Sutra Vahini, “Stream of Aphorisms
of Brahman”)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
You must know that there is no end
to the incarnations in which God
indulges. He has come down on
countless occasions. Sometimes He
comes with a part of His glory,
sometimes with a fuller equipment of
splendour, sometimes for a
particular task, sometimes to
transform an entire era of time or a
complete continent of space. God is
like the electric current that flows
through various contrivances and
expresses itself in many different
activities. The wise see only the
one uniform current; the ignorant
feel that they are all distinct. The
Holy Bhagavatha elaborates His Story
that transforms humanity. The
subject matter of the Bhagavatha is
the drama enacted by the Avatar and
the devotees who are drawn toward
Him. Listening to it promotes the
realisation of God. Many sages have
testified to its efficacy and
extolled the Bhagavatha, which they
helped preserve for posterity. (Bhagavatha
Vahini, Ch 1, “The Bhagavatha”)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Om is the sum and essence of all the
teachings in scriptures about
Divinity; “Om ithi ekaaksharam
Brahma” states the Vedas, meaning,
the one syllable Om, is Brahman, the
Divine! Om is a composite of three
sounds A (aa), U (oo) and M (mm). It
has to be pronounced rising in a
crescendo as slowly as possible, and
as gradually coming down, until
there remains only the echo of the
silence reverberating in the cavity
of your heart. Do not take it in two
stages, arguing that your breath
will not hold so long. Persevere
until you are able to be stirred by
the upward sweep and the downward
curve and the silent sequel. These
represent the waking, dreaming and
sleeping, and the fourth, beyond the
three stages. It represents also the
flower of your individuality
maturing into a fruit and filling
you with sweet juice from your own
inner essence, and thereafter the
final release. (Divine Discourse,
June 9, 1970)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Monday, December 15, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
You dread that it is very difficult,
nay, impossible, to realize God. It
is very simple; its very simplicity
makes you feel that there must be
some hidden trap. You do not
appreciate simple things and habits.
For example, there is nothing so
simple as speaking the truth; yet
how many stick to Truth! If you
venture into untruth, you have to
invent new stories all along the
line and keep in memory all the
stories and all the persons to whom
you have related them. Every student
has a watch on his wrist. And, you
look at the watch at least a hundred
times a day. Well, learn from the
watch a great lesson. When you watch
the watch, remember the five letters
of the word, WATCH; each is giving
you a fine lesson for life: W tells
you ‘Watch your Words’; A warns you
‘Watch your Action’; T indicates
'Watch your Thoughts’; C advises
'Watch your Character’; and H
declares 'Watch your Heart.' When
you are consulting your watch,
imbibe this lesson that the watch is
imparting. (Divine Discourse, May
13, 1970)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Sunday, December 14, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Do not get too much attached to the
world, and too involved in its
tangles. Keep your emotions always
within check. The waves agitate only
the upper layers of the sea; down
below it is calm. So too, when you
sink into your depths, you must be
free from the agitation of the
waves. Know that most things are of
no lasting value and can therefore
be brushed aside; hold fast to the
solid substance alone. Use your
discrimination to discover and
distinguish lumber from treasure.
The Pranava japa (recitation of Om
and contemplation of its
significance) will help to calm the
roaring waves. Gita affirms that
when the word ‘Om’ (Supreme
Universal Reality) is spelt by the
dying with their last breath, they
attain the Divine. To be able to
spell it then, dwell upon its
sweetness and significance
throughout your life, from today.
Then the final Om that emerges from
your lips will be an offering that
merges in Him! (Divine Discourse,
June 9, 1970)
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Date: Saturday, December 13, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
People have forgotten their real
nature and believe that they are the
body, the senses, etc. When these
(instruments) crave for objective
pleasures, people ignorantly
convince themselves that this
pleasure is wanted by them! Under
this mistaken notion, they seek to
fulfill the cravings. They delude
themselves that they can secure
bliss (ananda) by catering to the
body and senses. However they are
rewarded with disillusionment,
defeat and disaster, and reap
pleasure and pain. Though the
objective world appears real, one
must be aware that it is deluding
us. As a result, one has to give up
the yearning for deriving pleasure
from the objects that appear and
attract, both here and hereafter.
The false knowledge (a-jnana) can be
destroyed only when one knows the
Atma (the Divine Self) principle.
When the false knowledge disappears,
the sorrow produced by one’s
involvement in the ups and downs of
the world of change (samsara) also
gets destroyed. (Sutra Vahini,
“Stream of Aphorisms of Brahman”.)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Friday, December 12, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Sorrow affects you because you feel
you deserved joy and did not acquire
it; but there is one impartial
distributor of joy and sorrow, who
gives you what you need, rather than
what you desire. You may need the
tonic of tragedy to set you on the
road to recovery. The Compassionate
One, the eternal all-knowing God, He
knows best. Welcome the tragedy and
fight your way through, with the
armour of the remembrance of the
Divine. As all rivers hurry towards
the sea, let all your imaginings
wend their way to God. The play is
His; the role is His gift; the lines
are written by Him; He decides the
dress and decoration, the gesture
and the tone, the entrance and the
exit. You have to act well your part
and when the curtain falls receive
His approbation. By your efficiency
and enthusiasm earn the right to
play higher and higher roles - that
is the meaning and purpose of life.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Thursday, December 11, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
“Maam anusmara - With Me in memory
ever,” said Lord Krishna! In your
daily life, do not distinguish one
task as bhajan, another as bhojan
(eating), and the third as pujan
(worship of God) - all acts are
offering to the Divine. The food you
partake is given by Him and digested
by Him, so that it yields strength
to do His work. Each moment is
worthwhile, for He gives it, He uses
it, He fills it, He fashions it, and
He fulfils it. When He is fully
suffused in your every breath, you
can achieve the sovereign task of
merging in Him. You have that might
within you; The Divine cannot be
gained by the weak. The remembrance
can become permanently established
only when you are free from the
shackles of spite and envy. Be An-asuya
- without the trace of pride or
envy, malice or hate, egoism or
conceit. The Lord permanently
resides in the heart kept
assiduously clean.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
God assumes many forms and enacts
many activities. The name Bhagavatha
is given to the descriptions of the
experiences of those who have
realised Him in those forms and of
those who have been blessed by His
grace and chosen as His instruments.
The great epic called Bhagavatha is
a panacea that cures physical,
mental and spiritual illnesses. By
Bhagavatha we also mean those with
attachment to God, those who seek
the companionship of God. Being in
the midst of such Bhagavathas
fosters one’s own devotion. Unless
you have a taste for God-ward
thoughts, you will not derive joy
therefrom. To create that taste, the
Bhagavatha tells stories to the
earnest inquirer that relate to
incarnations. Then one develops the
yearning to experience the thrill of
God, through all the levels of
consciousness. One who has this
intense yearning can alone be a true
Bhagavatha.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Tuesday, December 09, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Keep the Name of the Lord always
radiant on your tongue and mind.
That will keep the antics of the
mind under control. When the lamp is
burning, darkness will not spread
its fumes around you. When the word
for Brahman (Supreme Universal
Reality), Om, is spelt with the last
breath by the one dying, they attain
the Divine. To make that final
utterance of Om, just as the flower
blossoms on the creeper of life, you
need to dwell upon Om all through
the years of your current life. The
Geeta advocates the process of
continuous meditation in a neat
little formula: mam anusmara yuddhya
cha! - "Keep Me in your memory and
fight!" The cue here for you is to
fight the battle of life, have God
in your consciousness as your
Charioteer at all times. This is not
merely a direction for Arjuna; it is
a prescription for all humanity.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Monday, December 08, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
The Kaivalya Upanishad declares:
“Not by means of works, not by means
of human power, not by means of
wealth, but by renunciation alone
can immortality be attained.” The
‘works’ referred to are rituals like
sacrifices, vows, charities,
donations, pilgrimages, etc. Through
such activities, one cannot achieve
liberation; that is to say, one
cannot get rid of the veil of
ignorance. ‘Human power’ means
acquisition of positions of
authority, of skill and intelligence
which can manipulate people and
things, of fame and supremacy, of
personal charm, of health and
happiness, or of a large family with
many children - these cannot confer
liberation. The works mentioned
above and the acquisition referred
to can succeed only when one has
‘wealth’. But the Upanishad
announces that spiritual wisdom is
not related to riches. So liberation
cannot be earned by means of wealth.
Renunciation alone can confer
immortality.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Sunday, December 07, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Yaga (ritualistic sacrificial
prayers) is prescribed by the Karma
Kanda (the parts that expound on
actions or Karma as a spiritual
path) of the Vedas. It is for
sanctifying time and fulfilling the
goal of human birth. The practice of
renunciation and dedication through
the rite of the yaga promotes
worldly happiness as well as
spiritual progress. It fosters
charity and social cohesion. The
ritual sacrifices pleases the
deities presiding over the forces of
Nature and so brings down rain,
which helps growing crops, and
increases food for man and beast.
Activity that is divorced from
spiritual goals, and devoid of
reverence and humility, leads to
conceit and authoritarianism. It
makes one arrogant and cruel; but
the sages of India laid down that
all activity has to be done as a
yaga, as offerings for the glory of
God, in an atmosphere of
thankfulness and awe, of humility
and holiness. The goal of all
activity was idealised as the
happiness and peace of all living
beings.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Saturday, December 06, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
To discriminate between good and
bad, one must resort to scriptures.
The Vedas emerged from the Divine
Himself and were ‘heard’ by sages
attuned to the voice of the Divine,
who in turn, taught them to their
disciples. This process of imparting
the Vedas and the wisdom enshrined
in them has continued through many
generations of Gurus and disciples
until now. The Upanishads, the
Brahma Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita
contain the very essence of the
Vedas. Hence these are designated as
‘three fundamental texts (Prasthana
traya)’ of the science of
spirituality. Acquisition of higher
knowledge alone can fulfil the main
purpose of human life; it makes one
aware that one is not the inert
non-sentient body but an embodiment
of being-awareness-bliss. When this
truth dawns and is experienced, you
are freed from the fog of ignorance
and are liberated, in this very
life.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Friday, December 05, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
The conflict between persons who
accept God and deny Him, those who
declare that God is to be found in
this or that place and those who
affirm that He can be found nowhere,
is never ending; it has been
continuing throughout the ages.
Remember that it is unnecessary to
awaken a person already awake and it
is easy to awaken a person who is
asleep. You cannot awaken, however
much you try, a person not wanting
to awaken! Those who do not know,
can be taught by means of simple
illustrations what they do not know.
But those afflicted with
half-knowledge and proud of that
acquisition are beyond any further
education. Your two eyes give a
picture of a vast expanse of space,
but they cannot see your whole body!
For that, you need two mirrors – one
in front of you and one behind. So
too, to know your reality, you need
the mirrors of Self-confidence
(Atma-vishwas) and Divine Grace.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Date: Thursday, December 04, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Mere reading of spiritual texts is
not enough. You may master all the
commentaries and you may be able to
argue and discuss with great
scholars about these texts; but
without attempting to practise what
they teach, it is a waste of time. I
never approve of book-learning;
practice is what I evaluate. When
you come out of the examination hall
you know whether you will pass or
not, is it not? For you can yourself
judge whether you have answered well
or not. So too in sadhana (spiritual
effort) or in conduct or in
practice, each of you can judge and
ascertain the success or failure
that is in store. The moon is
reflected in a pot, provided it has
water; so too the Lord can be
clearly seen in your heart, provided
you have the water of Love (Prema).
When you don’t see the Lord
reflected in your heart, do not say
that there is no Lord; it only means
that there is no Love within you.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Wednesday, December 03, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
Enter upon that task of Sadhana from
now on; that is the lesson you must
learn here. Otherwise yatra
(pilgrimage) leads only to the
accumulation of patra (objects and
souvenirs). Devotion is something
sweet, soothing, refreshing and
restoring. It must confer patience
and fortitude. The devotee will not
be perturbed if another is blessed
with more grace. The devotee is
humble and bides one’s time, knowing
that there is a higher power that
knows more and that it is just and
impartial. In the light of that
knowledge, the devotees will
communicate their troubles and
problems only to their Lord; they
will not humiliate themselves by
talking about them to all and
sundry, for what can a man, who is
as helpless as another, do to
relieve them? It is only those who
have that implicit faith in God, who
will deign to communicate only with
the Lord and none else, who deserve
Amrita (nectar of immortality).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Tuesday, December 02, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
People suffer because they have all
kinds of unreasonable desires and
they pine to fulfil them and they
fail. They attach too much value to
the objective world. It is only when
attachment increases that you suffer
pain and grief. If you look upon
Nature and all created objects with
the insight derived from the Inner
Vision, then attachment will slide
away, though effort will remain; you
will also see everything much
clearer and with a glow suffused
with Divinity and splendour. Close
your external eyes and open your
inner eyes - What a grand picture of
essential unity you get? Attachment
to Nature has limits, but the
attachment you develop to the Lord
when your inner eye opens, has no
limit. Enjoy that reality, not this
false picture. (Divine Discourse, 2
Feb 1958)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
Date: Monday, December 01, 2014
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY AS WRITTEN AT
PRASANTHI NILAYAM TODAY |
|
To pray to God with excessive
adulation and request a favour stems
from a tone of despondency.
Describing Him as One who is beyond
praise by Brahma and other gods, and
narrating glories beyond description
of how He helped devotees and then
asking, "Oh Lord! You have talked to
them and given them so much! Why
don't You come to my help?" appears
to stem from jealousy. It is only
when God is regarded as a friend and
a companion that He is pleased the
most. When you address Him as, "O my
dearest friend! My beloved One! The
darling of my heart," you are giving
Him the greatest joy. We use words
of praise towards an unfamiliar
person to show respect and regard as
he/she is a stranger. But we welcome
an old friend with easy familiarity
and intimacy. Hence approach God as
your loving friend, He will come to
your aid and fulfill your needs.
(Divine Discourse, Oct 9, 1989)
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
Join Us on Facebook Just a reminder, if you are on Facebook then you should join our Sai Ram
Facebook-page. We are nearing the 205,000 mark and unlike a lot of pages that are created and you join and then nothing beneficial ever happens, we actually send out daily Sai Baba updates and give exclusive content/images on most of our postings. http://www.facebook.com/sairam.saibaba |
|
|
Twitter
